Happy Pet Pet
by Dior Crystal
Summary: Forced into working at Ulquiorra's pet store, Grimmjow thinks that he'll hate it. But as time passes by, he realizes that maybe, just maybe, it's not that bad. AU. UlquiGrimm. Written for SenayDragon.
1. Graffiti This

**DIOR:** This fanfiction is written for SenayDragon as a prize for winning the fan art contest on the GrimmUlquiFC on DeviantArt (the link to the GrimmUlqui fanclub is available on my profile). Congratulations, Senay! You are an amazing artist and friend, and I hope that you'll enjoy this :D I'm sorry that it took me so long OTL But here is the story, as requested ^^

* * *

When Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez flipped the school newspaper open, what he saw made him smirk. There, right there, splashed across the front page were a couple of pictures of defaced school property. In every picture he looked, each property had graffiti on them; the graffiti all done in loud paint. The article was entitled "School Vandals Strike Again". Che. He closed the newspaper. They really did not have anything else to talk about if they could report this kind of shit.

And yet... there was something strangely satisfying about seeing your own crimes publicized in such a way. Especially since they did not know who had done them. Or rather, who were the ones that had done them.

"Hey, Grimmjow, what are you smirking about?" asked Yylfordt, as he looked over Grimmjow's shoulder.

"Heh," Grimmjow said, folding the newspaper before handing it to him, "Check it out. You might see something that'll interest you."

As Yylfordt opened the newspaper curiously, Shawlong and Di Roy huddled around him, curious as well. The moment they started chuckling amongst themselves, Grimmjow knew that they had just read the article.

Grimmjow had one hand shoved in his jean pocket and another holding onto the strap of his school bag on his shoulder as he walked. As usual, a few girls giggled and blush when he passed by them.

It was after school, and Grimmjow and his "friends" Yylfordt Granz, Shawlong Kufang and Di Roy Linker were walking back to their homes. "Friends" because although Grimmjow had known them for quite some time, and he always hung out with them, he did not particularly care for them. Or for anyone, actually. He may be popular in school for his looks and athletic ability, but he was a lone ranger.

He did not care to be surrounded by people all the time and with his loud, rude and brash personality, you would think that people would not like him at all and would stay away from him, but those three either did not get it, or just did not care. To him, they were just people that he met and talked to everyday, and people that followed him all the time because they regarded him as their "leader". And really, Grimmjow did not mind this arrangement; the part about being their leader, I mean. If anything, it made him feel good. Also, together, they pulled a lot of pranks (some harmless, some degrading, some just plain mean and disrespectful), so all in all, Grimmjow supposed that they were not so bad.

At least with them around, he would have something to do to avoid getting bored.

Today, they had decided to take a different route to go back home. It had been awhile since they had taken this route.

Grimmjow was pulled out of his thoughts when Di Roy suddenly spoke;

"Hey. The new store has finally opened."

Now, usually, whenever one of them pointed out a store, it meant that they might vandalise the place. Yes, they were that bored. Grimmjow took one look at the store that Di Roy had pointed out and chuckled.

"Well, isn't that cute. A pet store."

And from what Grimmjow could make out from outside, the inside of the store was decorated with bright, cheery colours. It was so cute that Grimmjow could barf.

"_Happy Pet Pet_?" Grimmjow read the store name out loud with a smirk, "How adorable."

"Such a gay name," Yylfordt commented.

"That's not fair. I like the name. 'Sides, we should always be nice to newcomers," Di Roy said, running his tongue along the front of his top row of teeth. He chuckled. "So I say that we should give the owner a welcoming present~"

"A welcoming present?" Yylfordt asked with a knowing smirk, "What kind?"

"The _best_ kind~"

They sniggered.

"Grimmjow?" Shawlong said, "What do you think?"

At that, Di Roy and Yylfordt immediately stopped sniggering and the three of them looked at him, waiting for him to say something. They always waited for his order before they did something like this. Grimmjow shrugged.

"Sure, why not?" he said easily, "It ain't like I have anything else better to do tonight anyway."

* * *

"Ha ha! I still can't believe that we made the papers, man."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, almost regretting agreeing to this, as he carried a cardboard box from his car. He could not believe that they were _still_ talking about that stupid article. Well, more like just those two idiots Yylfordt and Di Roy. Shawlong was simply keeping to himself as usual. They must have been talking about it for hours. It was taking him all of his patience not to throw the box that he was carrying in their general direction.

It was nearly midnight and the street that they were on was practically empty. The only sources of light were from the moon that was set against the black blanket of night sky, the streetlights and the lights from the pet store _Happy Pet Pet_. The store still had its lights on even though it already had a "Closed" sign hanging on the door. Huh. The shopkeeper must be some sort of workaholic or something. Not that it mattered because they were determined to give him or her their gift anyway.

Grimmjow set the box down onto the ground. Inside the box were a couple of spray cans filled with paint of different colours. All were very loud colours; all the better to have people see the graffiti. Grimmjow picked up one can - it was filled with fuchsia paint - from the box before tossing it to Shawlong, who instantly caught it.

"Oi," Grimmjow snarled, bringing both Yylfordt and Di Roy to attention, "Quit gawking over that _school_ news article and get to work!"

They immediately jumped to attention, nearly dropping the newspaper that they were holding to the ground.

"Yes, sir!"

Grimmjow merely grunted moodily in response.

"Honestly, getting worked up over that sort of thing. Get worked up when they mention you in the local newspaper or something..." he grumbled under his breath.

Once all of them were equipped with a spray can each, Grimmjow stood before the blank wall at the side of_ Happy Pet Pet_, tilting his head to the side slightly, wondering what they should paint on it.

"Hey," he said, "Do any of you have any ideas what we should paint here?"

...

Silence.

...

Blank stares.

...

_Figures._

"Che." Of course. They were all idiots who only followed what he said. Grimmjow was about turn back to look at the wall when Shawlong suddenly spoke up.

"How about," the tall teen said slowly, "We spray the words "The owner of this shop has a furry butt" on it?"

Grimmjow shrugged. Heh. It was immature enough, he supposed.

"Well, then," he said, smirking as he shook the spray can he had chosen (green paint), "Then let's get started, shall we?"

* * *

Ulquiorra Cifer wiped his sweaty brow after he finished unpacking the last box. He stood up, looked at the way everything was arranged neatly on the shelves in the store room, and sighed, a small smile gracing his pale lips. The first few days since he opened the pet store were quite hectic, what with him having to unpack everything and getting everything ready by himself and at the same time, unpacking all of the boxes at his new house. While he liked being his own boss, not having someone to help him out has its disadvantages.

But finally, he had finished everything that he was supposed to do.

Ulquiorra dusted his hands and closed the door to the store room. It was only now when he had finished all of his work that it occurred to him just how tired he was. His limbs were sore from constantly bending and carrying heavy boxes the whole day.

He rubbed the back of his neck, trying to ease the soreness in it away.

_I really should hire an assistant or something_, Ulquiorra thought tiredly. _Perhaps I should put up an ad for it soon... Now, what time is it?_ He looked up at the clock that hung on the wall, and what he saw surprised him. It was way past midnight. _How long did I exactly spend in there?_

That's it. He needed someone to help him out at the store.

Once Ulquiorra had fed all of the animals in the store, he picked up his bag, slung it on his shoulder, and fumbled for the keys in his pocket, intending to leave, when he suddenly felt something rub against his leg.

"Meow~"

* * *

"Pffttt! That was epic!" Di Roy cackled a few minutes after they finished with their "masterpiece". Right now, they were walking back home, just the three of them. "Boy, what I would give to see that poor bastard's face when he comes to work tomorrow morning!"

Shawlong allowed a small smile to make its way to his lips. "I know. That would indeed have been entertaining."

"Too bad," Yylfordt said, "But we can't stick around or we'll get caught. But maybe we can swing by in the afternoon?"

"Good idea, and then, maybe we-"

"Do you think Grimmjow would be okay by himself?" Shawlong said, breaking the flow of their conversation. Both Di Roy and Yylfordt looked at each other, then at him, exchanging worried glances.

A pause.

"Nah. Grimmjow will be fine," Yylfordt finally said, slinging an arm around Shawlong's shoulders, "You worry too much. This is _Grimmjow_ that we're talking about."

"Yeah!" Di Roy chipped in.

"Besides," the blonde continued to speak, "If anything happens, it's not like Grimmjow can't fight. You know that he can kick ass, right?"

"I suppose..." Shawlong looked back as they walked further and further away from the pet store _Happy Pet Pet_ and Grimmjow, unable to shake off the uneasy feeling that had chosen to settle at the pit of his stomach. What Yylfordt said was true, he could not deny that. And yet...

Why did he have this uneasy feeling? Would Grimmjow really be okay?

Noticing that the worried look on Shawlong's face still lingered, Yylfordt thumped him on the shoulder.

"Man," he laughed, "You worry way too much, Shawlong. Grimmjow isn't an idiot, so stop worrying already!"

"Hn... I guess you're right..."

"Oh, I _know_ I'm right."

* * *

Ulquiorra stopped, then looked at the white cat that was staring up at him with her large, clear blue eyes.

"Pantera," he said tiredly, "I thought that I already put you in your cage?"

The only reply that he got in response was purring. She rubbed herself against his leg affectionately, wrapping her long tail around it.

Apparently not.

"Meoww~"

Sighing once more, Ulquiorra bent down and petted her, making her purr even more loudly. She leaned her head against his hand, enjoying the attention. This small act made Ulquiorra smile at her fondly.

"I'm sorry, Pantera," he said, as he picked the white cat up gently, carrying her like he would to a baby, "But I can't stay. I have to go back home and get some rest." He put her into a cage with another cat. The other cat had black fur and emerald eyes, and it looked at him, then at Pantera silently, as though studying them. "Just stay here with Murcielago. I'll be back to see you in the morning."

Pantera looked up at him with sad eyes. She meowed, not wanting him to leave. "Meowww~"

He chuckled. _Such a spoilt cat_. "I'll see you again tomorrow, okay?" He petted her one last time. "I pro-"

_CRASH!_

Ulquiorra froze, whipping his head in the direction of the sound.

_What was that?_

He quickly locked the cage, murmuring a small "Sorry" to Pantera before making his way to the window, looking out of it.

Nothing.

But still, what made that sound?

Still not entirely convinced that there was not anyone there, Ulquiorra, with his heart beating hard against his chest, opened the door and stepped outside. He looked left and right, and still saw nothing. Strange... Perhaps it was his imagination?

Ulquiorra shrugged, turning back to lock up the store. "Perhaps it was a stray cat..." he murmured to himself.

Now, he would have continued to shrug it off if he had not heard the following:

The sound of clattering followed with the sound of someone cursing.

Ulquiorra froze, head turning to the source of the sound. Without hesitating, he made his way to the spot where he heard the sound. It came from right next to his store, he was sure of it. This time, he was sure that it was not his imagination. And this was confirmed when he saw a figure sprawled on the ground.

What on Earth...

* * *

Yylfordt, Shawlong and Di Roy had already gone back home and Grimmjow was the only one left since he had to clean up and stuff his things back into his car. He looked up at the graffiti that they had just done on the wall, and smirked. Painted in a variety of loud colours were the words suggested by Shawlong. They had even managed to paint a furry butt right next to it. Heh. Not bad for one night's work. And it took them how long? A little over half an hour?

He was sure that the owner of _Happy Pet Pet_ would be thrilled to see their little message for him in the morning.

The teal-haired teen quickly arranged the spray cans into the cardboard box, making sure not to make a sound. It would not do to get caught.

He did not fancy the thought of getting caught again and ending up at the police station. Nor did he fancy the thought of getting lectured by his parents.

Grimmjow picked up the box and headed for his car. So far, so good.

Until...

"Whoa!" Seeing that it was quite dark, Grimmjow accidentally walked into an empty trash can and sent it crashing to the ground noisily. The sound echoed across the street; it was so loud that there was no way that anyone around here could not have heard it. "Fuck!" he whispered.

_Damn it, damn it, damn it!_

Panicked, Grimmjow was about to make a break for it, when of all things, he tripped over his shoelaces and fell to the ground. The box slipped out of his hands and the spray cans fell to the ground, clattering loudly.

DOUBLE FUCK.

"SHIT!"

In even more of a panic, Grimmjow got up to his knees to pick up the spray cans and put them into the box. As much as he would like to make a run for it, there was no way that he could leave any evidence behind. He made that mistake once and he was not going to-

Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was so lost in what he was doing that he did not hear footsteps approach him, nor did he notice the shadow that had fallen upon him.

"Shit, shit, shit," Grimmjow muttered to himself, quickly shoving all of the cans into the box. Damn his sudden spell of clumsiness! "This is fucking st-"

"What are you doing?"

TRIPLE FUCK.

Grimmjow froze.

_Oh, my fucking God._

Slowly, almost fearfully, he looked up.

The man that stood before him was looking down at him with a frown. Since it was too dark, Grimmjow could not see his face clearly, but Grimmjow could make out that the man had pale skin and bright green eyes. His eyes were the colour of emerald, and they were staring him down suspiciously. Grimmjow simply stared at him back, lost for words, his throat dry.

_Please don't let this guy be the owner of Happy Pet Pet._

"What are you doing outside my store?"

QUADRUPLE FUCK.

_Didn't I just say not to let this guy be the owner?_

Still, Grimmjow did not answer. His mind was reeling, trying to find a way to escape before the shop owner could see their little welcoming "present" on the wall. And yet, he was too shocked to even move.

When Grimmjow did not answer, the man pursed his lips.

"If you do not answer, I-" He stopped, his eyes widening when he caught sight of the graffiti on the wall. When he looked a good long while at the painting of the furry butt, Grimmjow wished that the ground would just swallow him whole. He then looked at the spray cans that Grimmjow had been trying to gather, then at the graffiti again, then back at Grimmjow's guilty face, slowly piecing these pieces of information together.

But as quickly as that look of surprise appeared, it disappeared, only to be replaced with a scowl. He bent down and grabbed the front of Grimmjow's shirt so that he would not be able to run away from him.

QUINTUPLE FUCK.

"I beg to differ," he said dryly, seemingly calm yet exuding a threatening aura at the same time, "Because I know for a fact that I do _not_ have a furry butt."

What was that word again?

Sex...

Sex...

Sex...

Oh, right.

SEXTUPLE FUCK.

* * *

**DIOR:** My second attempt at an UlquiGrimm. This will be a short chaptered fic. Probably 3-4 chapters. Reviews are appreciated.

**EXTRA NOTE:** If you'd like to keep up with updates or progress on my fanfiction, you can add me on Livejournal. If you have any questions for me, you can ask me on my Formspring. Links to both are available on my profile.


	2. Demon Cat

**A/N:** Thank you for the reviews, everyone! Sorry for the late update. University has been hectic. Now, onto the story :D

* * *

The next day in school, Yylfordt, Shawlong and Di Roy were in high spirits, still coming off of their high from the night before. Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, however, was a different story. But that, of course, was not surprising at all considering what had transpired hours ago. After what had happened, it was only natural that Grimmjow would be in a bad mood, and sleep deprived. Even his usually busy parents had noticed his bad mood. So instead taking his "friends" idiocy into stride, he could feel himself draw closer and closer to losing his temper.

Right now, they were waiting for their next class to begin and as usual, the three of them gathered around Grimmjow's table even though Grimmjow had already made it perfectly clear many times that he hated it whenever they did that. Not that they heeded his words, of course. So Grimmjow tried his best to ignore them and continued to draw stick men either being burned or stabbed to death on a piece of paper. It was not difficult to guess who those stick men represented.

_Stupid, stupid..._

Listening to those three idiots (well, make that two since Shawlong mainly kept silent) yak away about yesterday did nothing, but grate on Grimmjow's already delicate nerves. It was bad enough that the events from what happened after he got caught kept replaying in his mind; he did not need to be reminded of the reason _why_ he got caught. Honestly, from the moment classes started till now, they had been blabbing nonstop.

_What are they, kids?_

He grumbled under his breath, not looking forward to his fate later after school, "Lucky idiots..."

The only reason that those three were not going to suffer the same fate as he was was because his pride simply refused to have him admit that he got caught.

If any of them dared to ask him about what happened last night, someone was going to get-

"Hey, Grimmjow. Did anything interesting happen last night after you cleaned up?"

-castrated.

"I mean, did you see the owner or anything?"

"Yeah," Di Roy sniggered, "It would have been funny if you managed to see the owner's reaction from afar."

Afar?

More like face-to-face.

And to be honest, it really was not that funny.

Grimmjow stopped drawing and looked at them.

...

"Well?"

_Right after Grimmjow got caught, the shop owner of Happy Pet Pet, whom he got to know was called Ulquiorra Cifer, dragged him into the store, the aura around the pale man definitely not one of happiness. Though the scowl on his face was not deep, Grimmjow could tell from his aura that he was positively livid. Normally, Grimmjow would have fought back, but something told him not to mess around with this guy. That, and the fact that he was in enough trouble as it was. He did not need the police to add assault along with vandalism on his list of crimes. His parents would have a fit._

_While he did not particularly care if his parents got mad at him, he was not too eager to face the consequences; he did not want to get grounded or have his car taken away.  
_

_So he let Cifer drag him into the store, and did not say a word as the older man closed the door behind them. All he did was glare at the man hatefully, his jaw set. This look was countered with an equally menacing stare from Cifer._

"_Well, I hope you are happy with yourself," Ulquiorra said dryly, "I just painted that wall."_

_Grimmjow stuck out his chin defiantly._

"_Fuck yeah I'm proud of myself."_

_Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at this. Grimmjow thought that he might yell at him, but instead, Ulquiorra spoke calmly as he took out a sleek-looking cell phone from his pocket, though he kept the glare on his pale face, "What is your mother or father's number?" He flipped the device open, and looked at Grimmjow expectantly, ready to dial the number._

_"No fucking way in hell am I going to give you their num-"_

_"Would you rather I contact the police?" Ulquiorra said smoothly._

_"No-"_

_"Then give me either one of your parent's number and I'll settle this with them."_

_Grimmjow clenched his jaw. Cifer was talking to him like he was a child! Oh, how he wished that he could squash that man's head right now. No one would miss him- _

_Ulquiorra sighed, seeing that Grimmjow clearly did not want to cooperate. When he still did not receive an answer, Ulquiorra said, " I have a wall that needs to be repainted-"_

_Grimmjow snapped, "I'll pay you back, geez, no need to get your panties in a twist!"_

_Ulquiorra raised an eyebrow. "Do you have enough money?"_

_..._

_Damn._

_He just had to be broke right now, huh? _

"_You do know that even if you pay me back the money, I will still need to have a word with your parents, don't you?" Ulquiorra said calmly, "I cannot have you repeat this offence again to anyone else." Met with another stretch of silence, Ulquiorra sat down behind the counter and drummed his fingers on the surface impatiently, watching the changing emotions on the teal-haired teen's face as different thoughts crossed his mind, contemplating on what to do._

_"Well? I'm waiting."_

_No answer._

_Ulquiorra let out a breath that he had been holding in. He swore, he could feel a headache starting to form in his temple. He was tired and he wanted rest; he really did not want to have to deal with this. Curse this stupid teenager. He looked around the store, at the cages, at the animals, at the products on sale, at the store room where he had been unpacking boxes mere minutes ago..._

_Hang on._

_"You," Ulquiorra said, catching Grimmjow's attention. The blue-eyed male looked up at him curiously. "I know exactly what we can do about this problem." _

"Oi... Grimmjow-"

Grimmjow picked up his pencil again and continued drawing tortured stick men on the piece of paper.

"Nothing happened," he answered briefly.

It looked like no one was going to get castrated today.

* * *

... Well, it turned out that someone _did_ get castrated.

Okay, not really.

Grimmjow just got fed up of being badgered by Yylfordt – "There's no way that nothing happened! I can tell from the look on your face!" – that he _may_ have lost his temper. But seriously, Ms. Harribel was overreacting. Just because she had caught him punching Yylfordt in the shoulder causing him to yell out in pain – though he maintained that it was a playful punch to Ms. Harribel – and yelling obscenities at the blonde – really, name-calling can be seen as a term of endearment too, and he did not really mean it when he told Yylfordt that he should have a bottle shoved up his ass; Yylfordt's ass, not Grimmjow's, by the way – did _not_ mean that he was starting up a brawl.

Horrid bitch.

Grimmjow grumbled under his breath, unhappy about being held back in school. Man, he hated detention. It was like a prison cell.

"You must really like it here, Mr. Jaegerjaquez," said Ms. Harribel calmly from where she sat behind the desk, "This is the third time this week that you've been here, and God knows how many times you've been here altogether this year."

Horrid, horrid bitch.

Grimmjow looked out of the window. Outside, he could see Yylfordt, Di Roy and Shawlong walking back home. He rolled his eyes when he saw Yylfordt clutching at his shoulder, where Grimmjow had hit him. Goodness. He did not hit him _that_ hard. No need to make such a big deal out of it. Wuss.

Grimmjow huffed, "Heh. Whatever."

He could practically feel Ms. Harribel's disapproving gaze burning at his cheek.

"I would advise you not to talk back to your teachers, Mr. Jaegerjaquez," she said plainly, "unless you wish to spend more time here."

Grimmjow turned to scowl at her and was about to come up with a snappy retort when he bit the inside of his cheek, thinking better of it. He did not want to spend more time here. So Grimmjow let it go and looked down at his desk unhappily. Two hours of detention; and that was only for today. Things really weren't going his way. Whoa, that rhymed. Ahem. A look at his watch told him that he was going to be late by at least thirty minutes. Grimmjow just hoped that that Cifer person would not mind him being late... too much.

* * *

The moment that Ms. Harribel let Grimmjow go from detention, Grimmjow immediately bolted out of the room and sped off to_ Happy Pet Pet_, running as fast as he could and ignoring the looks that he gained from passersby.

_Shit, shit, shit...!_

He was late!

He sped up.

He hoped that Ulquiorra was not a bitch about being on time - sweat began to run down his neck and he had a feeling that he was going to look like a mess by the time he arrived there - and about being tidy.

* * *

At the store, Ulquiorra Cifer was already waiting for Grimmjow to arrive. Business had started to pick up here, though for the wrong reasons. As frustrating as it was to have that appalling graffiti done on the wall was, it did come with its positive and negative effects. The positive being that it had attracted the attention of the residents here – many found it a disgusting and disrespectful act – and they came in to check the shop out. He had sold quite a bit. The negative being that it had attracted some unwanted attention – some people found the need to stick their noses into the shop just to catch a glimpse of the "owner with the furry butt" and promptly sniggering at him after doing so, much to Ulquiorra's annoyance.

Ulquiorra hoped that the negative effect would die down quickly once the wall gets painted over, and that the positive effect would remain for the sake of business, though he did not care for sympathy. The possibility that it would remain based on pure sympathy alone, though, was dim, since he planned on getting the wall repainted as soon as possible; today, as a matter of fact, so he hoped that the people here were animal lovers.

Ulquiorra glanced at his watch and sighed.

The boy was late.

He should have known that he would not turn up.

Something furry and warm rubbed against his arm, shocking him out of his thoughts. Ulquiorra chuckled and reached out for the white cat that sat on the counter, right beside him. The cat immediately purred in response. He smiled at this.

"Meow~"

"Do you think that Grimmjow will turn up, Pantera?"

Large, clear blue eyes blinked up at him, the owner tilting its head, before meowing once more.

"Hmm..." Ulquiorra stroked the cat. After making sure that the customers in the store did not need anything - they were all either busy browsing, looking at the products, or looking at the animals - he got up from his seat to go and feed the animals. Pantera leapt from her spot on the counter and followed him, circling around his legs. She looked up at him dotingly. "I'll give him a few more minutes."

And he better turn up; Ulquiorra had already bought a new bucket of paint.

"Meow~"

_I really should have just called his parents last night instead of giving him a chance like this,_ Ulquiorra thought as he refilled Murcielago's bowl of water. He really did not look like the type that would fulfil a promise. More like the type that would screw it over and go out for a drink with friends.

At least, that was the impression he got from talking to him last night.

"_I told you, I will pay you back!"_

"_No." Ulquiorra shook his head. "That was not what I was going to suggest." _

_The teen glowered at him. "Then what?"_

"_Well," he said slowly, "I will agree not to contact the police or your parents if you agree to do one thing for me..." _

With such an offer, of course Jaegerjaquez accepted it, albeit grudgingly. Though Grimmjow would not have been his first choice, he had to admit that this arrangement would benefit him as well, so it was basically a win-win situation.

"_And that thing is...?" the teen said suspiciously._

Ulquiorra glanced at his watch again.

Still no sign of him.

He straightened up. It was bothersome, but he really should not have placed too much hope on that-

"Oi," came a gruff voice from behind him, startling him. "Sorry I'm late. I'm here for my fucking job." Ulquiorra turned around and was greeted with the sight of a sweaty-looking Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, his tan skin flushed. The teen was panting and his appearance was rather dishevelled. He looked like he ran the whole way here. "My teacher decided to give me detention for kicks." He shifted his bag on his shoulder. "Where do I park my bag?" he asked bluntly.

... teenager.

Huh.

"... You're late."

"I told you," Grimmjow said, irritated, "My teacher decided to give me detention." He stuck his hand into his pocket. "Now, what the hell am I supposed to do first?"

Somehow, Ulquiorra doubted that his teacher gave him detention just for the fun of it.

"First," Ulquiorra said, not amused with Grimmjow's choice of words, "Is if you're going to work here, you're going to have to stop talking like that."

"Hn."

He turned to close Murcielago's cage, and continued to talk, "Second, you're going to paint the wall you decided to "decorate"." He pointed at the store room where he kept the new bucket of paint. "I've already bought the paint so you can start right away."

"Uh-huh."

"And third-" Ulquiorra turned around again to face Grimmjow, "... Are you even listening to me, Jaegerjaquez?"

"Eh?"

Grimmjow looked up from where he was squatting on the floor, playing with Pantera by tickling her on the tummy. The cat seemed to be enjoying the attention, if the way she was purring and not biting Grimmjow's hand off was any indication. Which was strange, since she did not warm up to strangers quickly and was only friendly towards Ulquiorra.

"Did you just say something?" he asked absently as he picked Pantera up, carrying her in his arms. His eyes lit up as soon as he caught sight of the black cat in the cage behind Ulquiorra. "Oh, hey, that cat is pretty cool too!"

_Cool?_

Ulquiorra only watched as Grimmjow tried to coax Murcielago to come near him, a feat that was probably more difficult to accomplish due to the fact that Murcielago liked being alone. The black cat studied Grimmjow through emerald eyes, before nearing the teal-haired male curiously.

Deciding that he could not stay silent any longer, Ulquiorra said, "Be careful of Murcielago, he might-"

"Good kitty~" Grimmjow grinned, reaching out to pet Murcielago. The cat did not react to this; it just kept silent. "Now, what were you saying about this cat?" he asked absentmindedly.

...

...

...

This was too bizarre.

The fact that Grimmjow seemed to be displaying a polar opposite personality from what he had shown him moments ago, and that Murcielago actually allowed itself to go near him and not do anything to him.

"I'm going to go get the paint. You stay here," Ulquiorra muttered, disturbed, before heading to the store room.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Grimmjow said dismissively as he continued to pet Murcielago while Pantera circled around his legs – he had just put Pantera down, not wanting to accidentally drop her while petting Murcielago. Unlike its white counterpart, the black cat did not purr. It merely kept silent, unmoving, watching Grimmjow carefully. Not that Grimmjow seemed to mind. In fact, it seemed that he was a lot more happy than when he arrived here.

As soon as Ulquiorra entered the store room, he heard a voice that sounded suspiciously like Grimmjow's yelping in pain.

"OW! Fuck! The black cat bit me!"

_About time._

* * *

"That cat is a demon."

"Kindly do not call Murcielago a demon, Jaegerjaquez," Ulquiorra said dryly, as he cleaned the blood away from the younger male's wounded hand.

Grimmjow looked at him incredulously. "Are you kidding me? That cat made my hand bleed! What the hell do you feed that thing anyway?"

"Cat food."

He narrowed his eyes at him. "Ha ha, very funny."

Ulquiorra started to bandage his hand. "Murcielago does not take too kindly to strangers. He usually takes awhile to warm up to them." A pause. "I take it that you do not like Murcielago anymore?"

"Tch." Grimmjow leaned back a bit on his seat. "Just because I'm mad at him for trying to gnaw my hand off doesn't mean that I hate him." Sapphire eyes gazed at the caged black cat, which was laying on a cushion lazily, not responding when Pantera meowed at it for attention. Finally, fed up of being ignored, Pantera hissed at Murcielago. Still no response. "Pantera and Murcielago don't get along well, do they?"

"Hmm... They're still getting to know each other," Ulquiorra mused, "They'll be fine." He tied up the bandage and then stood up. "I'm glad that you're fine with Murcielago," he said, "And now that your hand has been taken care of, it is time for you to start your first task." He pushed the bucket of paint and a paint brush into Grimmjow's arms. "You know what to do."

"Right, right..." Grimmjow got up, then stopped, noticing the other animals in their cages. Ulquiorra could practically see his eyes shine. Grimmjow went over to look at them. "Oh, hey, cool! Ferrets! Puppies, and parrots, and kittens, and snakes, and- Gak!"

Ulquiorra had grabbed the back of Grimmjow's shirt, stopping him, and said, almost amused, "You can play with and get to know the animals later. Right now you need to paint a wall."

Minutes later, after having to be pried away from the animals by Ulquiorra, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez found himself staring at the wall that he and his "friends" had decided to do graffiti on last night. The words and the large furry butt spray painted on the wall stared right back at him. Once again, he was reminded of how unfair it was that he was the only one being punished for this. This whole thing was Di Roy's idea, anyway! And Shawlong was the one that thought of the message and- Oh, what the heck. He heaved out a breath that he had been holding in.

Might as well get this over with.

Ignoring the crowd that had gathered behind him – _damned idiots have nothing else to do_ – and the heat of the sun beating down on his back, Grimmjow dipped the paint brush into the bucket of paint and started to paint over the furry butt.

Here was to day one of working here at _Happy Pet Pet_.

It was a shame that the furry butt had to go.

But the faster he got this over with, the faster he could go check out the other animals. Yeah.

Inside the shop, Ulquiorra Cifer observed Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez through the window from time to time, making sure that the teenager did his work. He had half expected the boy to run off as soon as Ulquiorra let him out of his sight, but thankfully, he did not. Although Grimmjow painted it grudgingly and occasionally stopped to grumble under his breath, he continued to paint, slowly covering the crude graffiti under layers of paint. He did a rather good job, too.

Seeing this made Ulquiorra smile ever so slightly.

_Goodbye, furry butt._

* * *

Review? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this again :)

**FAN ART:** This story is based on the plot SenayDragon gave her awesome UlquiGrimm fan art on DA. You can view it by clicking "FAN ART/COLLAB" on my profile. The fan art is called "GrimmUlqui- HAPPY PETPET -Edit". Give her love! :D

**LINKS:** I've provided two new links on my profile. One is to a GrimmUlqui fanbook event, another is to my Facebook page for contacting purposes.


	3. The Incubus

Three weeks. It had been three weeks since Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez spray-painted that wall with Yylfordt Granz, Di Roy Linker and Shawlong Kufang. Three weeks since he had gotten caught by Ulquiorra Cifer. Three weeks since he was made to work at Cifer's pet shop. Three weeks since he got bitten by Murcielago. Three weeks since he was made to repaint the wall.

Though he initially had doubts about working at _Happy Pet Pet_, he found that he actually liked working there. Sure, his boss was a hard ass, but with each passing day that he got to know Ulquiorra, and once he managed to look past the whole this-motherfucker-can't-take-a-damned-joke-about-his-ass thing, he warmed up to him. It was also interesting to watch how the two cats, Pantera and Murcielago, were getting closer. They still fight a lot, but they now get along much better than they did before. Other than playing with Pantera and (getting bitten by) Murcielago on a daily basis, Grimmjow had also gotten to know the other animals.

There was the fat Yorkshire Terrier called Ira, the two rowdy Chihuahuas called Santa and Teresa, and the ever sleepy Golden Retriever, Los Lobos. The snapping turtle, Arrogante, and the turtle, Brujeria. The stuck up Siamese cat, Fornicaras (good God, what was Cifer thinking when he named that ca- never mind). The rabbits Tiburon and Glotoneria. And so many other animals that Grimmjow could not name at the moment.

And yeah, in case you are wondering, they all have weird ass names. With the exception of maybe Ira, Santa and Teresa, that Ulquiorra must have been high on some really strong shit when he came up with those names for the animals.

Anyway, after Grimmjow was made to repaint the wall, Ulquiorra made him help around the store. Sometimes Grimmjow had to feed the animals, sometimes he had to deal with the customers, sometimes he had to stay behind the counter. All in all, he liked it, though he was not one to talk to people a lot. It goes without saying that his favourite part about working there was being able to spend time with the animals. Grimmjow could definitely get used to working there, even if he was only supposed to work there for a month.

At least, that was his deal with Ulquiorra.

* * *

"Hey..." Di Roy said in a whiny tone, "What has Grimmjow been up to lately? That guy keeps disappearing right after school ends."

"Yeah! We've not hung out with him since forever!" Yylfordt agreed.

The Idiots and Shawlong – or so Grimmjow liked to call them – were in class, waiting for the lesson to end. Their Math teacher, Mr. Hanatarou, was a timid little thing so it was no surprise that the students took advantage of this and made a ruckus in class.

It was absolutely chaotic; students were talking amongst themselves, hardly anyone was listening to Mr. Hanatarou, and some had even taken to running around the class. To put it plainly; it was like a zoo. With this kind of environment, Shawlong, Di Roy and Yylfordt were able to chat freely without getting reprimanded. Mr. Hanatarou had other problems to care about other than the three idling students. For example, like that student who suddenly decided to pinch him in the bum just now...

"You two don't know?" Shawlong said coolly, as he flipped through the text book that he was reading, "Grimmjow has an after-school job now."

"Eh?"

That was right, news about Grimmjow having an after-school job had gotten around school. No matter how hard Grimmjow tried to hide this fact – honestly,_ Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez_ working at a _pet shop_? One called _Happy Pet Pet_, at that. Will wonders ever cease? – and that he did not even tell this piece of information to anyone, people eventually got to know. All it took was for a couple of schoolmates to see him working at that place for the word to get around. It basically took less than a week for him to be discovered. So, now everyone in the entire school knew that Grimmjow was working at that place.

Everyone, but Di Roy and Yylfordt.

Because, well, they were idiots.

And Shawlong, who was well-informed on the matter did not even bother to tell Yylfordt and Di Roy.

"Why didn't he tell us? Why didn't _you_ tell us?" they spluttered.

"Because you did not ask," Shawlong responded simply.

Yylfordt narrowed his eyes at Shawlong. "Oh, fuck you."

"No, thank you. I'd rather not."

The blonde was about to deliver a rather scathing remark when Di Roy intervened, saying, "Hey, how about we give Grimmjow a visit later?" He looked at Shawlong. "You do know where he works at, right?" The nod, no matter how slight it was, that came from Shawlong was enough to answer Di Roy's question. "So, where is he working at?" He grinned. "An arcade?"

Shawlong shook his head.

"Some shop at the mall?"

Shake.

"A restaurant?"

Shake.

"A workshop?"

Shake.

"Some bookstore?"

Sha-

"Oi," Yylfordt growled, fed up, "Quit shaking your head. I can hear it rattle all the way from here. Just tell us where the heck he is working."

Shawlong narrowed his eyes at this, not liking the way Yylfordt had spoken to him.

"Well?" Yylfordt poked him in the arm.

"Hmph..." Shawlong closed the textbook that he was reading. "If you must know, he is working at _Happy Pet Pet_."

* * *

Ulquiorra had to admit, though he did not really have high expectations for Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez when the teen first started working here in _Happy Pet Pet_, Grimmjow was doing much better than expected. The teen had a foul mouth, and he was brash, yes, but he seemed to have a soft spot for animals; a fact that Grimmjow did not want to openly admit, even if his life depended on it. Not only that, he actually did all of his work without complaint - Ulquiorra had expected Grimmjow to curse at him and disobey him, or do his work half-assed. It was almost as if he enjoyed working here; something that Ulquiorra initially thought was his imagination, till he actually saw much Grimmjow looked forward to working.

And he supposed that his relationship with the teen had gotten much better. Their arguments had lessened. There was no longer tension whenever they spoke. They were actually getting along, but only as how an employer and employee would, nothing more.

_How long has it been since Grimmjow started working here?_

_Nearly a month, isn't it?_

_How quickly time passes by._

Ulquiorra watched as Grimmjow spoke to a customer, telling her how to care for hamsters. Now that he had gotten to know Grimmjow better, he supposed that Grimmjow was not too bad. Heck, he found that he was beginning to enjoy being in Grimmjow's company. The teal-haired teen was so immersed in the conversation and so animated about it that Ulquiorra could not help but to smile ever so slightly. The scene was so adorable and so laughable at the same time, that he almost laughed out loud. So he settled with just smiling softly.

_... Wait._

_Adorable?_

_Nuh-uh._

_Since when are Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez and the word "adorable" related? Never._

And without him realizing it, emerald eyes slowly went from gazing at the back of Grimmjow's head, down his back, his waist, to his tight ass. Almost immediately, his thoughts led to how it would feel to squeeze that nice piece of-

When the owner of said tight ass turned around and grinned at him, Ulquiorra coloured, his face turning into a fascinating bright shade of red.

...

Ulquiorra smiled at him pleasantly, then turned around to pretend that he was arranging the items on the shelves behind him. Once he was sure that Grimmjow had turned away, Ulquiorra smacked himself on the forehead so hard that he almost saw stars. He thanked God that Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez could not read his thoughts, or he would not be able to face him ever again.

* * *

_Bad, bad Ulquiorra._

_What were you staring at him for?_

_Thinking such perverted thoughts too, at that._

_Honestly. What are you, a hormonal teenager?_

_Ow, my forehead hurts... I really shouldn't have done that._

* * *

"_Happy Pet Pet_, _Happy Pet Pet_..." Yylfordt muttered to himself, Di Roy and Shawlong trailing behind him, "And, here it is!"

The three teenagers stopped in front of the store.

The place looked the same as ever, minus the graffiti that they did. It was still cheery-looking with bright colours decorating it, and the animals peeping out of the window. A puppy wagged its tail upon seeing the new visitors. Shawlong bent down and pressed his finger against the glass separating them. The dog licked the glass, making Shawlong chuckle and smile. It really was a cute little thing.

"It has been awhile since we've been here, hasn't it?" Yylfordt looked at the wall that they had spray-painted a few weeks ago. The graffiti was gone, covered under layers of paint. "Aww. They painted over the graffiti that we painstakingly did. No fair."

"Yeah..." Di Roy sighed, feigning disappointment, "But we knew that that would happen." He gestured at the door. "Shall we?"

* * *

Grimmjow was inside the store, feeding the dogs, Santa and Teresa. Other than Murcielago, who was already beginning to warm up to him, Santa and Teresa were the only animals in the store that did not like him too much. Which was fine with him, really, since he was more of a cat-person than a dog-person. Not that he hated dogs, he just preferred cats more. And to be perfectly honest, sometimes dogs scare him a little, especially when they are in a less-than-friendly mood; less-than-friendly mood meaning I-am-gonna-bite-your-fucking-ass-off-right-now mood. Just sometimes, though.

But don't tell anyone that, yeah?

He stood up and stretched after filling the two dogs' bowls of water and food, ignoring their growls.

He yawned. "Yeah, yeah, I know that you hate me."

Damn. He was tired; he did not get enough sleep last night since he was up studying till late. Yes, as unbelievable as it sounds, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez was actually studying. Just because he did not look the part, did not mean that he was not. In Grimmjow's opinion, you cannot be better than everyone else if you are just strong. You have got to have a little something upstairs too.

Grimmjow was about to go and feed the other animals when he felt someone touch him on the shoulder.

"Oi..."

At the other side of the store, a customer had just paid Ulquiorra the required amount for the items she bought.

"Thank you," Ulquiorra said, smiling a small smile, because God knows that anymore than that would give anyone a seizure from pure, and utter shock that the stoic man could express more than that, "Please come again."

"Oh, I will," the woman simpered before sashaying out of the store. Just when she was about to step out of the store, she peeked over her shoulder and winked at him.

Ulquiorra simply waved at her and maintained that smile till she was out of the store and out of sight.

As soon as she was gone, the smile dropped, and he shuddered. Ugh. That woman had been coming here nearly every day now just to hit on him. She kept making extremely suggestive suggestions, showing more cleavage and leg than necessary, and also _touching_ him more than necessary. He found it all extremely sickening.

If not for the fact that she was the customer, he would have long rejected her before she could say anything to him.

He shook his head and looked around the shop, wondering if he could find anything else to do. He did not like to stay idle.

The first thing that his eyes caught sight of was the sight of three teenagers talking to Grimmjow. Normally, he would not have paid this any mind since they often got teenagers coming by here; some that truly wanted to take a look at the store, some that just wanted to check Grimmjow - or Ulquiorra - out. Obnoxious as the teen was, Grimmjow was rather attractive.

He supposed.

Ahem.

He glanced at Grimmjow once more, and an inaudible sigh escaped his lips. He could not believe that in just a few days' time, Grimmjow would not be working here anymore. "Hn..." He watched with mild interest how the three teenagers were talking to an uninterested Grimmjow in an animated manner. It was going to be a shame to see Grimmjow leave. He really was starting to get attached to that teen. Ulquiorra would have stopped watching so that he could mind his own business when he suddenly heard the words "Quit this job and come hang out with us" slip out of the lips of one of the teenagers.

He frowned.

... Hmph. Troublemakers.

The owner of _Happy Pet Pet_ reached out to pet Pantera, who was laying curled up in a basket on the counter, pretending to not have noticed their presence.

"Yeah! So what if you gotta pay back this guy? Just ditch this gig..."

Pantera purred, enjoying the attention that she was receiving from Ulquiorra. Not long after, Murcielago, who had finally decided to come out of his cage - though Ulquiorra always kept it unlocked should Murcielago ever want to stretch its legs - came and lay down in the basket with Pantera, looking at Ulquiorra expectantly.

The teenagers kept on talking, not realizing that Ulquiorra was listening to every word that they were saying.

"We've not seen you in ages..."

"... It's not like it's a big deal."

_Not a big deal?_ Ulquiorra almost scoffed.

He extended his hand towards Murcielago and petted him on the head as well, then scratching him behind the ears. The cat merely closed his eyes and purred softly.

"How come you didn't tell us about this anyway? You weren't the only one who spray-painted his wall."

_Wait. He wasn't?_

"Che," Grimmjow finally spoke, "None of your fucking business."

Ulquiorra almost wished that he could see Grimmjow's expression, but the teen had his back to him. So the emerald-eyed man continued to pet Murcielago, straining his ears to listen to their conversation. From the way those teenagers were speaking to him, they must be Grimmjow's friends. Maybe even the ones that helped him spray-paint the wall.

"So, are you coming or not?"

_Hmm..._

He stroked Murcielago.

_Well?_

Murcielago's purring got a little louder.

_What is your answer, Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez?_

...

"... Nah. I'm staying," Grimmjow said.

Ulquiorra stopped petting Murcielago momentarily.

"Eh?"

"What are you looking at me with those faces for?" Grimmjow's voice again. "Idiots. I chose to work here on my own damned free will."

"But..."

And Ulquiorra did not hear the rest. Grimmjow actually opted to stay. Yet another smile reached his lips, but this time, unlike the smile that he gave to the woman just now, it was sincere. He continued to pet Murcielago once more, in a much better mood than before. After awhile, the three teenagers finally left, though not in a very high spirits. They looked downright moody. The one with blonde hair actually scowled at Ulquiorra before leaving. Ulquiorra merely smiled at him, not caring that he looked a bit angry.

"Heh," Grimmjow said as he sat on the seat next to Ulquiorra, "I'm tired."

"I'm not surprised," he murmured, eyes still on Murcielago, "It has been a rather busy day..."

"Yeah..."

Silence.

Grimmjow leaned back in his seat, making his chair stand on its two back legs, then placing his hands at the back of his head. He closed his eyes, looking completely relaxed. Ulquiorra would have warned him that sitting in such a way could cause him to topple over if not for the question that he asked Ulquiorra next; "So, are you happy now?"

"Hm?"

"Heh." A chuckle. "Well, you seemed awfully moody when Yylfordt suggested that I leave this place."

No response.

Ulquiorra froze, and simply stared at him.

How did he know that?

Another chuckle. "Don't look so surprised," Grimmjow said, his eyes still closed, "I'm not an idiot, ya know?"

... Well.

Ulquiorra smirked slightly. "I know."

* * *

So... Tomorrow was going to be the last day of working at _Happy Pet Pet_.

Grimmjow rubbed his bright blue hair with a towel in an attempt to dry it.

He should be happy, shouldn't he?

* * *

It was quite late now, and it was time for Ulquiorra to lock up the store. The emerald-eyed man was once again in the store room, arranging the items on their respective shelves when he suddenly heard a pained cry, followed by a yell come from the shop._ What on Earth...?_ Without so much as a second thought, Ulquiorra immediately stopped what he was doing and bolted out of the room, wanting to see what was wrong.

"What happened here, Grimmjow?"

There, in the middle of the room was Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez, his face pale with sheer horror as he pointed at something in the corner.

"HOLY FUCK NUTS!"

"Grimmjow! What is it? What are you-"

And then he heard it again; a pained cry from an animal. A cat, to be specific. Slowly, Ulquiorra turned his head to the source of the sound.

* * *

"I'll say it once more, that cat is a demon."

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said tiredly, "How many times must I tell you not to call Murcielago a demon?"

But Grimmjow was not listening, because he kept on ranting and ranting about Murcielago. "No, no... That cat ain't just any demon... It's an... It's an incubus!"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ulquiorra countered smoothly, "She is a cat, and she was not sleeping when it happened."

"That... that ain't the point...!"

"Oh? Then care to tell me what is the point, then?"

"That cat... he... he...!"

"Yes...?"

"He hurt Pantera!"

"Grimmjow." Ulquiorra did not seem bothered at all by this piece of information. He was even looking at all the shops they walked past, seemingly finding them much more interesting than the conversation that he was having with Grimmjow. "You're overreacting. That is a natural process."

"You're acting like Murcielago did not fuck Pantera in the middle of the-"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"Shh." Ulquiorra placed a finger on Grimmjow's lips, effectively silencing the teen. A sigh. Grimmjow clearly could not get the image of Murcielago mounting himself on Pantera and... "hurting" her out of his mind. He withdrew his hand, letting it fall to his side. "Calm down."

"B-but...!"

He placed his finger on Grimmjow's lips once more. "Come," Ulquiorra said, with a slight smile, "I'll treat you to a drink. Maybe that will help calm you down. Okay?"

Grimmjow nodded, quiet and still upset. "Can it be hot chocolate...?"

Ulquiorra wanted to laugh. And he almost did if not for the fact that Grimmjow was so upset that his favourite cat had just lost her innocence. "Of course it can." Another smile. Ulquiorra let his finger slide down Grimmjow's lips and back to his side. "Now," he said, grasping Grimmjow's shoulder lightly, "Shall we, little one?"

Grimmjow sniffed. "I am not little," he grumbled. "I'm gonna graduate soon. Just because you're a few years older..."

Ulquiorra chuckled, and listened to Grimmjow rant as he led him to a nearby cafe.

Upon entering the cafe, the aroma of coffee beans immediately reached their nostrils. Grimmjow looked around, curious. He had never been in here before. It was a quaint, tidy little cafe tucked at the very end of the street. The person who was minding the counter waved at Ulquiorra, who, in turn, acknowledged her with a nod before choosing to sit at the table in the corner. Huh. It looked like that Ulquiorra is a regular here. Not that much of a surprise because this does seem like the sort of place Ulquiorra would go to.

He sat down, sitting directly opposite Ulquiorra.

As soon as he sat down, a woman came to his side, a notebook and pen in hand. The waitress.

"Hello," she said with a smile, "What would you like to have?"

While Ulquiorra told the woman what their order was, Grimmjow fidgeted in his seat. He had never hung out with Ulquiorra other than in the store, so this was pretty new to him. He was not even sure how he was supposed to act around him. Should he treat him like his boss, or was it okay to be more friendly towards him...?

"Tch..." Grimmjow shifted in his seat, and immediately stopped when emerald eyes glanced over at him, making him go still. Grimmjow looked away, something that looked suspiciously like a blush gracing his cheeks. "Che..."

"My, my, is that a blush I see, Grimmjow?" Ulquiorra said teasingly, once the waitress went away.

Grimmjow scowled as the blush traitorously deepened. "... No."

"I see." The expression on Ulquiorra's face right now could only be described as one of amusement. Deciding to change the topic, Ulquiorra said, "Well, Grimmjow, today is your last day of working at my store."

"Yeah..."

The pale man raised an eyebrow at this. "You should be happy. You will no longer need to work for me."

More fidgeting.

"Yeah, about that..." Grimmjow hesitated.

"Yes...?"

"Can... Umm..." Grimmjow scratched the back of his neck. "You don't suppose that I could, umm..."

Ulquiorra waited for him to finish his sentence patiently.

"I know we both got off on the wrong foot, but, umm..."

When Grimmjow did not continue his sentence, Ulquiorra said tiredly, "Grimmjow, cut to the chase or I will not listen to whatever it is that you want to say."

Grimmjow took a deep breath.

"Is it okay if I work for you at _Happy Pet Pet_ for a little longer?"

* * *

**A/N:** Thank you for all the reviews, everyone! First semester of university is finally over~! Expect to see me spamming this site more often. Reviews are very much loved and appreciated.


	4. The End

"Grimmy-honey...!" a feminine voice that Grimmjow knew all too well called out. "Where are you?"

Grimmjow almost groaned. "I'm here, mom," he called back.

He turned back to his backpack; he was nearly done packing all of his things. All he needed was to shove in some clothes, and a toothbrush, and he was good to go. And it only took him like what, five minutes? How the hell women could take such a long time doing something like this was beyond him... Grimmjow had stuck another clean shirt into his backpack when he heard footsteps running up the stairs. Mom.

A few steps after, he heard the footsteps enter his room. Grimmjow straightened up, and almost immediately, felt two extremely soft, large objects press against his back as the owner of said objects wrapped her arms around him in a form of a hug. "Grimmy-honey!" Rangiku cooed, squeezing her one and only son affectionately.

"Aww, ma..." Grimmjow whined, embarrassed. "Don't do that...!"

But this only made Rangiku squeeze him even harder, causing her breasts to squish up against his back even more.

Grimmjow was just thankful that no one else was there, or he would have positively melted and absorbed into the ground from pure embarrassment.

"My little baby has grown so fast...!" His mother nuzzled his hair. "It was like only this morning that you went off to school!"

"I _did_ go to school this morning, mom."

Another tight squeeze.

It was at that point that Grimmjow not only wished that she would let go, but that she would wear a bra.

In fact, to all doting mothers out there: wear a damned bra every time you want to hug your son, because without it, it is as awkward as hell. But even though Rangiku knew this fact very well – something that Grimmjow had to grumble to her often – she did not care. Heck, when Grimmjow tried to wriggle out of her embrace, his head was promptly met with a smack. Nothing was going to deny her, his mother, the opportunity to hug her son. So Grimmjow decided to stay quiet till she was satisfied, albeit reluctantly.

Finally, finally after what seemed like an eternity – but really was only a full minute – his mother let him go and allowed him to breathe more easily.

_Thank God!_

Rangiku sat down on the edge of the bed. Her golden hair, which she usually left cascading down her back, was tied in a low ponytail. She was wearing loose, simple clothes and her skin gleamed slightly with sweat. She must have just finished doing house work – a rarity when it came to her. Her blue eyes landed on the backpack. Grimmjow could already see a question begin to form in her mouth. Sure enough, she opened her mouth and spoke.

"Where are you going, honey?"

"To a friend's house," was Grimmjow's evasive answer.

She blinked. She looked a little disappointed. "So soon?"

"Yeah, well... It's kinda urgent."

Not one to censor her words, Rangiku said, "Bullshit."

"Aww, come on, mom. Didn't I tell you about it? You even said that it was okay."

"When?"

"Last night."

Rangiku made a face. "You expect me to remember? I was drunk last night."

Oh, so _that_ was why she was singing Christmas carols out loud that time.

"Sorry..." He stuck a toothbrush into his bag. Done. Grimmjow zipped up the backpack, ready to go. He swung the bag over his shoulder. "But I already made plans."

His mother made a sort of whining noise. "I hardly see you around anymore. You're always either out with your friends or working at that pet shop. Doesn't help that Gin is working outstation right now. Mommy is lonely."

"Sorry."

"You _should_ be sorry."

"Sorry..." Grimmjow apologized yet again, beginning to feel a bit stupid. But really, he did not know what else to say. He would have left then and there if he had not caught sight of her face. Her blue eyes were large and sad, and her mouth was fixed in a pout. There were even unshed tears glistening in her eyes. He sighed, then went to her and kissed her on the forehead. "We'll go watch a movie or something when I get back, aite?" he said, hugging her lightly. Even though he could not wait to get away from her, his mother really was not half bad when she is sober.

"And dinner too."

"Right, right, and dinner too..."

"Good," she sniffed, mollified, returning the hug. "My boy has gotten so big..." she sighed, tightening the embrace. A pause. "Is she pretty?"

Grimmjow stared at her blankly. "Who is pretty?"

"The girl you've been hanging out with."

"I've not been hanging out with any girl..." Grimmjow said slowly.

Rangiku snorted.

"What?"

"Oh, please." She rolled her eyes. "You can't tell me that you hardly hang out with those three boys, stopped getting into trouble at school, and that your teacher Ms Harribel has not complained to me about you for months-"

Wait, Ms Hairy Balls – eh, _Harribel_ actually went _months_ without complaining about him?

"-is not because of some girl."

That must be some sort of record.

"Wha- of course it ain't about some girl! Those have nothing to do with me-"

"And on top of that," she continued. "You've been smiling and blushing like a love sick idiot."

Grimmjow turned red. "I don't smile or blush like a love sick idiot!" he said defensively. How the heck did his drunk-half-the-time mother notice something like that anyway? "There's no girl!"

"Oh?" She raised an eyebrow. "If there is no girl, then what is there?"

Grimmjow opened his mouth, ready to tell her that Ulquiorra was not a woman, thank you very much, then closed his mouth, thinking better of it. Images of his mother freaking out over the fact that her son was sleeping over at some older man's house flashed through his mind. She would get over it, and so would dad, but still...

"Well?"

_... Yeah, you know what? Let's just go with Ulquiorra being a woman. For now._

He laughed nervously. "Yeah, you're right, mom. It_ is_ a girl." Sweatdrop. He raised his hands as though in surrender. "You've got me." He prayed that Rangiku would buy his lie. He would tell her the truth later, when he was ready.

_Please please please..._

"See?" Rangiku said triumphantly, thumping a hand against her chest. "A mother always knows."

_Yes!_

"Yeah..." Grimmjow said, eager to get away. "Well, I'll see you later, then, mom."

"Mm."

The teal-haired teen stopped at the door, ready to walk out, his hand resting on the doorknob. Rangiku sent a puzzled look at the back of Grimmjow's head at her son's sudden pause. "For the record," Grimmjow said. "She isn't pretty." Rangiku raised a perfectly arched eyebrow. After a moment's silence, Grimmjow added, "She's sexy." Then he left before she could bombard him with questions.

* * *

_"Is it okay if I work for you at Happy Pet Pet for a little longer?"_

A question that was asked by Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez to him, Ulquiorra Cifer, about two months ago.

_Ulquiorra blinked, not expecting that question at all. He knew that Grimmjow loved working at Happy Pet Pet, but still, this was a surprise. While he stayed silent, Grimmjow kept fidgeting in his seat and looked almost embarrassed, the lightest shade of pink dusting his cheeks. Once Ulquiorra got over his initial shock, he could not help but to smile softly, the smile reaching his eyes._

_"Of course."_

A response that was given by him to the teen.

_Relieved, Grimmjow's face broke into a grin. "Sweet!" He was so happy that he pulled Ulquiorra into a hug, not particularly caring that he was hugging his boss. "Thanks, man!"_

Now, fast forward to about two months since that scene at that little cafe.

Ulquiorra was at the store as usual, but this time, there was not a single sign of the teal-haired teen that had been working there for several months. Nor was there any sign of Murcielago or Pantera, but that shall be explained later, alright? There was work that needed to be done, but Ulquiorra did not seem agitated by this one bit. Even though he had to do Grimmjow's share of work, he did not even scowl. In fact, he was as calm as he had always been. The reason for this was that Grimmjow had a perfectly good reason for missing work today.

The reason?

Grimmjow was having his final exams as a high school student. Today was his final paper.

_Grimmjow..._ The smile on Ulquiorra's lips reached his eyes upon thinking that name.

_"Hey, Ulqui!" Grimmjow greeted as he gave Ulquiorra a kiss on the cheek. "Morning!"_

He touched his cheek, then sighed. The skin that Grimmjow had kissed tingled. He had gotten a little more fond than he would have liked over that boy...

Ulquiorra did not even jump when someone suddenly walked into the store and let something drop to the floor heavily. Knowing exactly who it was that had entered, his heart fluttered. Without turning around to look at the person who had just come in, Ulquiorra continued feeding the rabbits and said, "You're just in time, Grimmjow. I was just about to close up the store and leave without you. You know how we close up early on Fridays."

"I know, I know..." Grimmjow said. Ulquiorra could practically feel the aura that the teen now radiated. Relief, happiness, a bit of sadness and tiredness... "Sorry, man... Today was kinda hectic... After everything I had to go back home for a bit to see mom and get my things. If I'm gone for too long, she gets worried." Grimmjow rolled his eyes at the last part, though a soft look remained in his eyes after saying it. "You know how she is."

"I can only imagine." Ulquiorra stood up. He dug his pocket for the keys to the store. When he found them, he finally turned around and said, "Now, shall we go?"

"Fuck yes."

After making sure that all the animals were fed and well-cared for, Ulquiorra locked up the store and walked towards his car, with Grimmjow walking by his side. Grimmjow had a silly grin on his face. It did not take long for Ulquiorra to drive the both of them to a restaurant for dinner, and then to his house. Once in front of Ulquiorra's house, Grimmjow would have busted down the door if Ulquiorra did not hold him back.

"Calm down now," Ulquiorra said, fitting the key into the keyhole, "Just be patient, you idiot..."

Grimmjow was practically _skipping_. "How the heck can you expect me to be patient when she's waiting for me?"

As soon as the door was open, Grimmjow tore into the house.

"PANTIES...!"

Ulquiorra nearly groaned. "Can you _please_ not call my cat by that name?"

But Grimmjow was not listening. He was already cooing and petting a now rather large white cat that was lying curled up in its basket.

"Hey, Panties..." Grimmjow said, stroking the cat lovingly, "How have you been...? Alright...?"

"... It is _Pantera_, Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said flatly, "Not Panties."

But he did not seem to hear. Either that, or he had ignored Ulquiorra, because he continued to coo to Pantera, calling her "Panties". Having heard the racket that Grimmjow made upon entering the house, the black cat on the couch stirred. Yawning, Murcielago got up and stretched out on the couch. He then leapt onto the floor, made his way to Pantera and nuzzled her on the side of her face lovingly.

"Mew..."

Ulquiorra watched all of this while Grimmjow continued to coo to "Panties". He shuddered. How Grimmjow had come about to creating such a horrid nickname for his cat, he did not know.

You see, as Pantera neared toward the end of her pregnancy – yes, Panties – um, Pantera, was very much pregnant, thanks to a certain black cat – Grimmjow insisted on staying over at his house often, wanting to be one of the first to greet and see the newborn kittens. And it seemed that Murcielago felt the same way as well, because when Ulquiorra only let Pantera stay at home and not him, he made such a racket at the store every day that Ulquiorra gave in and let him stay with Pantera. Grimmjow stayed over so often that Ulquiorra wondered whether his parents did not find it strange at all that their son had been staying over at an older man's house.

Well, it was a good thing Ulquiorra did not know Rangiku thought Grimmjow's friend was a female. Yet.

"Grimmjow," Ulquiorra said as he shrugged off his jacket and hung it on the coat stand. "I'm going to take a shower. You can take one after playing with the cats. You know where the towels are kept, right?"

"Of course."

"Good."

The teen played with both the cats until Murcielago, who had decided that his beloved Pantera needed rest, nipped at his fingers, clearly telling him to clear off. Murcielago gazed up at Grimmjow pointedly as he moved to sit in front of Pantera, blocking her from the teen's sight.

"Alright, alright," Grimmjow chuckled, holding up his hands. "I'll piss off, aite? Don't you worry your pretty little head about it."

All he got as a reply from Murcielago was a stern stare.

"Heh." Another chuckle. Cute.

Grimmjow stood up and dusted his hands, looking around. The faint sound of a shower running could be heard. Ulquiorra must already be upstairs. Yawning a bit, Grimmjow stretched his arms above his head. It had been a long day. His exams lasted well till late afternoon. After his exams, he had gone to his house to see his mom and get his clothes, then went to meet up with Ulquiorra, had dinner with him, and now he was here, at Ulquiorra's house. It was already night time.

_Well_, Grimmjow thought as he headed up the stairs. One of the floorboards creaked softly when he stepped on it. _Might as well turn in now. Unless I can convince Mr Grumpy Pot to watch a movie or two with me. _The thought of Ulquiorra made his heart beat faster than he would have liked.

The sound of the shower running got louder as Grimmjow neared Ulquiorra's bedroom. Two months ago, Grimmjow would not even think about entering that man's room, but, now was not two months ago. Grimmjow entered Ulquiorra's room, plopped himself on the man's bed, making it bounce slightly under his weight and made himself comfortable as though it was the most natural thing in the world to do. Before this, he would always stay in the guest room whenever he stayed here, but he guessed that being here should be alright as well. It had got to be, right? It was not like they were complete strangers or anything.

Besides... Never know unless you try, right?

Inside the room, Grimmjow found that nearly everything was exactly the same since he last entered it. Clean and tidy, the room practically had Ulquiorra Cifer's name all over it – it even smelled like Cifer, and also, to his satisfaction, like himself as well. It was not much of a surprise, really, since the last time Grimmjow had been here was yesterday – yes, he had only gone home for a change of clothes. You see, now that it was about two months since Pantera had gotten pregnant, Grimmjow absolutely refused to stay anywhere else till she had given birth. Till then, he was going to stick around here whether Ulquiorra liked it or not. Ulquiorra could yell, kick and punch him - but he did not do any of this, of course - but there was no way he was going to budge a single inch. Grimmjow was just that stubborn.

He was pretty sure that Ulquiorra liked having him around, though.

And yes, Pantera was the only reason he was sticking around. Mmhmm. That was right. Just Pantera.

Of course, being around Ulquiorra was not that bad... he supposed.

Grimmjow smiled softly, then scowled for doing so, remembering what his mother had said about his smiles and blushes.

"Tch... Love sick idiot my foot..." he grumbled under his breath.

He propped his head up on a pillow, hands behind his head as he stared up at the ceiling. The sound of the running water coming from the bathroom was strangely relaxing – it was practically lulling him to sleep. Grimmjow yawned. He must be more tired than he thought. Damn it. This was all Ulquiorra's fault. Because of him, he not only did not get enough sleep, he was nearly late for school. Another yawn.

He wished Ulquiorra would hurry up. If he did not finish soon, he was going to fall asleep right here and...

"Grimmjow?"

The sound of the running water had stopped. Grimmjow, who was being pulled into sleep, jerked awake. He sat up and rubbed at his eyes, yawning.

"What are you doing in my room?" Ulquiorra had gotten out of the bathroom, with only a towel wrapped around his waist. He had an amused look fixed on his face as he gazed at Grimmjow. "Getting quite bold, aren't we? I don't believe that I've given you permission to sleep on my bed."

"Oh, shut up..." Grimmjow grumbled, turning a bit red upon seeing Ulquiorra's half-naked body. "You didn't have a problem with it last night."

"Of course I didn't have a problem with it last night."

Ulquiorra sat down at the edge of the bed, right next to Grimmjow. The bed sank slightly under the added weight. His hair was still a bit wet, and damn... He looked good. Grimmjow tried not to stare at how some of the droplets of water that clung to Ulquiorra's skin slowly slid down his chest, his well-toned stomach, right down...

"Like what you see?"

"What?" Grimmjow snapped out of it. When he realized that he was staring, he said quickly, "No! Fuck no!"

"I see..." Ulquiorra did not seem offended by this. If anything, he seemed to have seen through Grimmjow's poor attempt at a lie. He reached out and ran his fingers through Grimmjow's hair, playing with the hair at the back of his neck. "How was your exam?" he said conversationally. "Alright?"

"The paper was alright, and, oi..." Grimmjow answered slowly, shifting uncomfortably under Ulquiorra's gaze. His touch sent shivers down Grimmjow's spine. "The hell are you doing?"

"Nothing." He stroked Grimmjow's hair once more. "And how are your parents?"

"Mom is fine. I'm gonna go and catch a movie and have dinner with her when I get back..."

"Mmhmm." Ulquiorra hummed. He pulled Grimmjow closer, and kissed his neck softly.

Grimmjow narrowed his eyes at him, heart beating fast. "Oi..."

Ulquiorra ignored him. "And your father?"

"He's fine. He's overseas doing some work."

"I see..." He continued teasing Grimmjow's neck, making the teen groan slightly. "Did anything new happen?"

"Aside from having exams, no-"

But his words were cut off when Ulquiorra pulled his face out of the confines of Grimmjow's neck to kiss him, apparently tired of making an attempt at a conversation. He was in the mood for something else entirely. "Grimmjow..." he murmured against Grimmjow's lips. At first, the teen did not respond, but after awhile, he kissed Ulquiorra back, caressing his lips against pale pink ones. Grimmjow had even nipped at Ulquiorra's bottom lip playfully. Encouraged by this, Ulquiorra pulled him closer, his bare chest meeting Grimmjow's clothed one, to deepen it.

"Ulquiorra..."

Yes... Well, as you can see, a _lot _had happened over a span of two months.

It had begun innocently enough. A couple of drinks after work. A bit of teasing during work. If they were feeling hungry, instead of drinking, they would opt to have dinner. Then, Grimmjow would sometimes ask Ulquiorra to hang out with him during the weekend, to watch a movie, to go for a walk... Sometimes, Ulquiorra would be the one to call Grimmjow up. Sometimes they would just talk, sometimes Ulquiorra would tutor Grimmjow – apparently, the guy was a genius, but since he loved animals so much, he had chosen to open a pet store instead of becoming a doctor like he had initially wanted to – and sometimes, Grimmjow would be the one teaching Ulquiorra something. An extreme sport, for example - to Grimmjow's disappointment, it seemed that Ulquiorra was more than capable at playing extreme sports even if he did not seem like it. After awhile, Ulquiorra started inviting Grimmjow over to his house. And when Pantera began to reach towards the end of her pregnancy, Grimmjow's visits grew more frequent.

And... somewhere along the line, things started getting a bit more than just about talking. They started getting a bit more intimate. So much that they crossed the line between being just employer and employee and entered a relationship that was... not quite a relationship that lovers shared, but they were getting there.

Right now, they did not have a name for their "relationship". They were going to get to that, though. One of these days.

"Ahh... Ulquiorra..." Grimmjow panted.

"Yes?" Ulquiorra leaned down and pressed a chaste kiss against his lips. He then moved down and kissed at his chest. "What is it?"

"Come on..." he whined. "Quit teasing me already."

For the second time that day, Ulquiorra smirked. "Oh, I will get there, Grimmjow." And once more, that warm mouth of his descended onto Grimmjow's skin. "Just be patient."

* * *

It was well late in the morning when Grimmjow heard it; the sound of his cell phone beeping. He cracked an eye open and took a look at the clock that hung on the wall. Ten in the morning. Who in the blazes could be calling him at this hour? Yes, in Grimmjow's world, ten in the morning was still too fucking early. Groaning, Grimmjow reached out for his phone, careful not to awaken Ulquiorra, who had his arms wrapped around the teen protectively. Grimmjow must have pressed the wrong button and put the device on loudspeaker instead because the next thing he knew, the voice of his mother, filled the entire room. Damned new touch screen phone.

"Grimmy-honey...!"

Her voice was so shrill that Grimmjow could feel Ulquiorra start to stir next to him.

Not wanting to wake him up just yet, Grimmjow scrambled for the cell phone. Oblivious as to what was happening on the other side of the phone, Rangiku continued, "How are you? Have you had breakfast yet? What did you have for dinner?"

"I'm fine, mom," Grimmjow grunted, still trying to reach out for it but only succeeded in knocking it further away from his grasp. Damn it.

"That's good, that's good," Rangiku chattered on.

Another grunt. "Yeah." He got it.

"And how's your girlfriend?"

Grimmjow dropped the phone. Ulquiorra, who had been stirring just now, stiffened visibly under the blanket. Grimmjow hurriedly picked up the phone, and fumbled around with it, trying to switch the loudspeaker off.

"What girlfriend?" His voice was shaking.

"Oh, you know," she said conversationally. "That girl you've been hanging out with for months now-"

Grimmjow pressed the red button, promptly ending the call. He let out a shuddering breath. _Forgive me, mom. I promise I'll make it up to you. I swear. Just don't call back. Don't call back. Don't-_

"Girl, huh?" Ulquiorra had gotten up and was smiling at him so sweetly that Grimmjow almost felt it wise to run for his life. He crawled on top of Grimmjow, their faces inches apart. Grimmjow really did not like that smile. Whether Ulquiorra noticed the colour drain from the teen's face, he did not know. All he knew was that after Ulquiorra nipped on his neck, he whispered into his ear, "Perhaps I should make it clear to you again, hm?"

_Oh, fu-_

It was not till about an hour later that Grimmjow finally went downstairs. And even then, he needed help from Ulquiorra. He was fucking _limping_. Ulquiorra, on the other hand, not only walked perfectly fine, but he looked extremely happy. He was practically glowing. It looked like someone managed to have a bit, or rather, _a lot_, of fun time before breakfast.

"You didn't have to be so rough," Grimmjow grumbled.

"Oh, you enjoyed it anyway," Ulquiorra said easily, his hand on the other's waist. "You're really cute when you're needy."

Faster than a set of traffic lights, Grimmjow's face turned red. "Y-you...! You...!"

"Yes?"

"Shut the hell up!"

"Now, why should I do that when you're being perfectly adorable?" Ulquiorra nuzzled his neck.

By now, Grimmjow's face was positively scarlet. He pushed at Ulquiorra, embarrassed. "Fuck you!"

"I do believe that it was the other way around."

Oh, what Grimmjow would give for a baseball bat to whack Ulquiorra's head with. Growling, the flustered teenager struggled in Ulquiorra's arms, hurling insults at him while he was at it, when he suddenly stiffened. He heard something. Sapphire eyes went wide, excitement starting to run through his veins again, but for an entirely different reason. Could it be?

Ulquiorra tilted his head, curious. "What is it?"

A few tiny meows.

"Hey, Grimmjow...!"

Forgetting about how much he was hurting right now, Grimmjow rushed out of Ulquiorra's arms and made his way to the source of the sound, ignoring the jolt of pain that went up his spine. He came to a screeching stop in the kitchen where he caught sight of a much smaller Pantera surrounded by a mass of black and white creatures. She was licking at one of them, cleaning it up.

"Ulquiorra!" Grimmjow called excitedly.

"What?"

Ulquiorra appeared at the doorway.

Grimmjow, who was now sitting on the floor, looked over his shoulder and grinned at him like a little kid. "Take a look!" Ulquiorra inched closer, to get a better look. When he did, he chuckled and gave Grimmjow a kiss on the cheek, smiling. "Panties gave birth!"

"Yes..." Ulquiorra kissed Grimmjow on the cheek once more. "Yes, she did."

**-THE END-**

* * *

**DIOR:** That was it. That's the last chapter. Thank you to everyone who has read up till here! I hope this is alright, Senay ^^; And everyone, **PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS CHAPTER IS NOT THE FULL VERSION**. I had to censor this fic in order to the abide to the M-rating rule here. For anyone who wants to read the uncut version, please visit my profile and click "Fic Livejournal" and search from the master list on the first post. If you want to review, I'd rather you review here, than there. Thank you again! Till next time, everyone. *waves*

Also, an early Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to everyone!


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